This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
You get a hamburger! And you get a hamburger! Everyone gets a hamburger! The great success story of Andrew Hammond goes on, as Senators fans attending Friday's game were able to use their ticket for a free McDonald's hamburger. Hammond would go on to make 24 saves on 26 shots in the game, helping the Senators to a 3-2 win over Buffalo.
Hammond is now 7-0-1 in his first career NHL stint, recording a .954 save percentage and 1.43 GAA. As long as he keeps up this superior play, Hammond should be rolled out with confidence. While Craig Anderson (hand) and Robin Lehner (concussion) will return eventually, Hammond is the go-to-guy in Ottawa right now.
The Senators are currently sitting just three points out of a playoff spot and according to sportsclubstats.com, their chances of making the playoffs are at 33.1%. Not long ago those odds were around 5%. Hammond is the story of the NHL right now, as he's yet to allow more than two goals in a game. The Senators are surging and 'The Hamburglar' is the main reason why.
Here's what you need to know for Saturday's NHL action.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Flyers (Steve Mason) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 1:00
Canadiens (Carey Price) at Coyotes (Mike Smith), 7:00
Jets (Michael Hutchinson) at Predators (Pekka Rinne), 7:00
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) at Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00
Sabres (Anders Lindback) at Capitals (Braden Holtby), 7:00
Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Panthers (Dan Ellis), 7:00
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:00
Blues (Brian Elliott) at Leafs (Jonathan Bernier), 7:00
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:00
Canucks (Eddie Lack) at Sharks (Antti Niemi), 10:00
*Confirmed Starters
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday
Bruins
Gregory Campbell, C (upper body) -- Won't play Thursday against the Flames.
Brett Connolly, RW -- Broke his finger in practice Wednesday and will be out six weeks, Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe reports.
Sabres
Patrick Kaleta, RW (lower body) -- Has been able to resume skating in recent days.
Zemgus Girgensons, C -- Coach Ted Nolan wasn't optimistic when asked Thursday about Girgensons' (ankle) chances of returning this season. "With that type of injury, you're hoping to see him, but realistically, I'm not too sure if we will," Nolan said. "It depends on the length of the injury, how [many] games we have left. If we have two, will you risk his rustiness getting hurt again?"
Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon, RW -- Out 6-8 weeks with a broken foot.
Blue Jackets
Ryan Murray, D -- Coach Todd Richards said Thursday that Murray (ankle) has resumed skating, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Matt Calvert, LW -- Coach Todd Richards said Thursday that Calvert (concussion) is "making good progress," Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Kevin Connauton, D -- Coach Todd Richards said that while Connauton (foot) has been ruled out from playing Friday against the Devils, he could be ready to go for Saturday's game against the Avalanche.
David Clarkson, RW -- Will miss four to six weeks with a torn oblique muscle.
Stars
Tyler Seguin, C (knee) -- Is making progress toward a return to action, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Trevor Daley, D -- Coach Lindy Ruff announced Thursday that Daley (lower body) would miss the next 2-to-4 weeks, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Panthers
Jaromir Jagr, RW -- Will miss Thursday's game against the Stars due to flu-like symptoms, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports.
Willie Mitchell, D (upper body) Will miss Thursday's game against the Stars due to flu-like symptoms, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Erik Gudbranson, D -- Will miss Thursday's game against the Stars due to flu-like symptoms, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Al Montoya, G -- Coach Gerard Gallant confirmed Thursday that Montoya will miss at least two weeks worth of action with a groin injury, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports.
Roberto Luongo, G (shoulder) -- Has been ruled out for the Panthers' next two games, Jameson Olive of FOX Sports Florida reports.
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW -- Left Tuesday's game against the Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury and will not return, Paul Hendrick of Leafs TV reports.
Dave Bolland, C (upper body) -- Has been skating and is very close to making his return, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Kings
Alec Martinez, D -- The Kings are hopeful that Martinez (concussion) will be able to resume skating at some point later this week, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports.
Canadiens
Sergei Gonchar, D (undisclosed) -- Is out for Thursday's game against the Kings, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Alexei Emelin, D (shoulder) -- Skated with the Canadiens on Monday morning, John Lu of TSN reports.
Predators
Eric Nystrom, RW -- Coach Peter Laviolette indicated that Nystrom (lower body) remains under evaluation, John Glennon of The Tennessean reports.
Islanders
Tyler Kennedy, RW (upper body) -- Was sent back to New York Wednesday to visit with team doctors.
Kyle Okposo, RW (eye) -- Was scheduled to skate before the Islanders' practice Monday morning, Arthur Staple of Newsday reports.
Flyers
Nicklas Grossmann, D (upper body) -- Has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Blues, Randy Miller of the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Ray Emery, G (lower body) -- Practiced Monday, Tim Panaccio of CSN Philadelphia reports.
Penguins
Christian Ehrhoff, D -- Missed Wednesday's game against the Avalanche out of concern that he might have suffered a setback in his recovery from a concussion, the Associated Press reports.
Sharks
John Scott, LW -- Missed Thursday's practice with an illness, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports.
Blues
Zbynek Michalek, D (concussion) -- Exercised the last three days and was schedule to skate Monday before being traded, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports.
Lightning
J.T. Brown, RW (upper body) -- Won't play Thursday against the Maple Leafs.
Matt Carle, D (abdominal surgery) -- Shed his no-contact jersey for Wednesday's practice and is hoping to return next week, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
Leafs
Tim Erixon, D (illness) -- Will not play in Thursday's game against Tampa Bay.
Canucks
Chris Tanev, D (concussion) -- Appears to have suffered a setback in the recovery process, Blake Price of TSN 1040 AM reports.
Kevin Bieksa, D -- Coach Willie Desjardins indicated Tuesday that Bieksa (hand) is at least a week away from a return to action, Jon Abbott of tsnradiovancouver.ca reports.
Alex Burrows, LW (groin) -- Was briefly on the ice prior to Monday's practice, Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province reports.
Alexander Edler, D (upper body) -- Was a full participant in Monday's practice, Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province reports.
Capitals
Alex Ovechkin, LW (lower body) -- Has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Wild.
Michaek Latta, C (upper body) -- Will not play Thursday against the Wild.
Jets
Dustin Byfuglien, D -- Suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday's game against the Senators and will not return, TSN's Sara Orlesky reports.
Matt Halischuk, RW -- Took to the ice Monday before the Jets' practice, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports.
Hot
Brendan Gallagher, RW, MTL – Gallagher has five goals in his last eight games and has fired 23 shots on goal in that span. He's got 18 goals on the season and appears destined to record the first 20-goal season of his NHL career. He's been a solid all-around fantasy option, recording 188 shots on goal, five game-winning goals, and a plus-20 rating this season. Giving the way he's firing on all cylinders right now, Gallagher is a great option in all fantasy leagues, as he's going to play a key role for the Habs down the stretch drive and into the postseason.
Devan Dubnyk, G, MIN -- Dubnyk was outstanding once again Friday, stopping 37 of 38 shots in a win over Carolina. The 28-year-old has been brilliant of late, winning eight of his last nine games and allowing two goals or less in each of those outings. He's given up only one goal in three of his last four games and is arguably the hottest goalie in the NHL. The Wild are shooting up the standings and Dubnyk is the main reason why. If he happens to be available, you need to grab him. He's suffered just two regulation losses in his last 19 games, so he's basically a must-own fantasy asset.
Cold
Shea Weber, D, NSH -- With just one goal and no assists in his last nine games, the Predators' blueliner is currently going through a dry spell. While he's a minus-6 in that span, we aren't worried for many reasons. Weber recently went through a three-game rampage in which he recorded a whopping 23 shots on goal. He's averaging close to 30 minutes of ice time per night and has 15 goals in 66 games on the season. All the best players go through cold stretches, so just wait this one out, as the 29-year-old will be back putting up points in no time.
Dustin Brown, RW, LAK – Brown has managed just one assist in his last seven games, leaving him with just 10 goals and 25 points in 64 points on the season. He's on track to post a third-straight season around the 30-point mark. This drop comes after he posted at least 50 points in five straight seasons. With players like Tyler Toffoli having emerged in Los Angeles, Brown has been dropped to the third line and is no longer on the power play. While he's still valuable in deep leagues, his four shots on goal in his last five games are just the latest example of why the 30-year-old is no longer the all-around fantasy force he was a few years ago.
Recommended Pickup
Brandon Dubinsky, C, CBJ -- Dubinsky scored for the second straight game and had an assist in Friday's win over the Devils. That's a three-game point streak for Dubinsky, who now has nine goals and 24 points in 35 games on the season. While Columbus is well out of playoff contention, Dubinsky, who has recorded a plus-11 rating and 37 PIM, could be worth adding in some deep leagues. The second-line center is heating up and has scored six goals in his last nine games. Considering he's posted 50 points twice in his career, he could be worth a gamble down the stretch.
